The Night the Lights Went Out In New Mexico
by Starlover88 and Moonlover13
Summary: The daughter of Ryan & Gabriella Evans is determined to figure out what really happened the night the lights went out in New Mexico, where her mom went, and why her father murdered one of his best friends. Based on The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
1. Chapter 1

**So I know that most of the reviews I'm probably going to get from this story are going to be flames. Just thought I'd let you know that the pairings aren't great ones and that the characters will be OC. Heck, I don't like most of the pairings either, but I really wanted to turn this into a hsm story. The characters in the song aren't exactly great people either, so there you go. Flame away lol. **

**The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia – Vicki Lawrence (later by Reba McEntire)**

* * *

Ms. Sharpay Evans stood by the window, waiting for her niece to drive up the driveway. She hadn't seen her in a few years, and she was very late. You see Sharpay was anything but a patient person, so this was getting extremely hard for her to do.

Sharpay's niece was her twin brother Ryan's daughter. Sharpay had raised little Harmony Evans since the age of 2 months after her mother mysteriously disappeared and her father was arrested and convicted of murder.

Little Harmony had grown up and had graduated from college with a journalism degree. She was working in Austin, Texas at one of the larger newspapers there. Her editor had just given her permission to come back to her hometown of Albuquerque to do her best to figure out the mystery of her parents and to do a series of articles about it. Harmony was determined to find her mother if she was even alive and to figure out why her dad had killed one of his closest friends.

Sharpay smiled as she saw her niece's new car finally drive up. She watched as Harmony let herself in and a minute later heard her come in the room she was in.

"Hi Sharpay!" She squealed and hugged her from behind before Sharpay could turn away from the window.

"Hello Harmony." Sharpay replied happily, finally turning around after Harmony had let go of her. "How was your trip?"

"It was good, too long, but good." She replied as the two sat down at a small table near the window where there was a rather large box sitting.

"Is this the information?" Harmony asked excitedly as she started to open the box.

"Yes, it most definitely is." Sharpay replied smiling grimly as she watched Harmony start pulling out photo albums and newspaper clippings. Sharpay grabbed a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Harmony. She looked up at her aunt confused.

"I suggest you call on these people and ask them what they know about the incident." Sharpay said.

"Why? Who is Zeke Baylor? Chad Danforth?" Harmony asked reading some of the names off the paper.

"Just tell them who you are and I'm sure that they'll talk to you. Now I need to tell you more about this murder since I never told you all of it." Sharpay replied as Harmony put down the piece of paper and watched her aunt intensely. "What exactly do you know about this mystery?"

"I know that my mom was cheating on my dad, so he went and murdered his close friend that was the one cheating." Harmony replied, looking rather uncertain about what the woman who had raised her from an infant was going to tell her.

"Here's the thing. The man that was cheating with your mother was my fiancé." Sharpay responded as she leant back in her chair and watched the look of horror cross Harmony's face.

"No!" She replied in shock. It couldn't be true, could it? Why hadn't her aunt ever told her that before?

"Yes." Sharpay said solemnly. "Now why don't you go call up those people?"

"Ok I will. Oh and is it okay if the photographer I got can stay here too?" Harmony asked blushing.

Sharpay smiled knowingly. "He isn't just the photographer is he?"

"No, he's my boyfriend."

"That's fine then, the guest room is clean. Good luck with everything."

* * *

"So are you sure that your aunt is okay with me staying at her house?" Asked Jim Rivers as he took out his camera.

"I'm sure!" Harmony said as they walked together though the cemetery towards her aunt's fiancé's grave. "I just can't believe she didn't tell me before that my dad had killed her fiancé!"

"No kidding, that's not something I would have thought she would have kept from you." Jim responded as he grabbed Harmony's hand that didn't have her paper and pen in it.

"I don't know why I hadn't ever tried to figure out the mystery before either. Most of it just doesn't make sense! She also said that my mom and her fiancé were high school sweethearts." Harmony said as she and Jim stopped in front of Troy Bolton's grave. Next to it was the grave of his mother. She remembered hearing about how she had mysteriously died too. Seemed like the Bolton's had early deaths running in the family.

"I'm sorry, but your family honestly creeps me out." Jim said laughing a bit.

"No argument there. Just don't make my aunt mad, she gets crazy if you do that! I'm just surprised I don't go insane when I get mad since apparently it's hereditary." She replied taking notes about the grave in front of her as she vaguely wondered why Troy couldn't get over the fact that his high school sweetheart had been married.

_Ryan Evans was exhausted. Ever since his father had died the year before, he had too much to do. It wasn't just that he had to deal with his father dying, he had been left the family business, and had to take care of it also. So this is how Ryan found himself in an airplane on his way home from Paris. He was very excited to get home and see his wife and baby girl Harmony. _

_He picked up the phone on the back of the plane seat in front of him and called his sister. She had actually come through for Ryan also and was taking part of the work load off of him and helping him run the business. It had come as a shock to everyone that she was even willing to help, let alone be the one to offer it first. He was glad that she had finally gotten it through her thick head that she wasn't the most important person on the planet. She had even somehow found herself engaged to none other than Troy Bolton. Go figure. _

"_Come on Shar, pick up!" He muttered as he listened to the continual ringing. Strange….. She didn't even answer her cell phone. She always answered her cell phone. _

**So what do you all think so far? Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"So we've got pictures of the graves of Troy Bolton, and Lucille Bolton. I don't know why we have pictures of her grave, but you insisted." Jim said as he laid out the pictures of the graves on a table in the Evans mansion.

"Something just seems fishy there and she was like my grandmother." Harmony snapped back at him.

"Ah see, there's the Evans temper." He replied laughing.

"So here's a picture of Troy and my aunt." Harmony said ignoring him as she put a picture of them down from thirty years previous. She also put a picture of her mother and her father next to it.

"Where's your father buried?" Jim asked as he picked up another picture to inspect it.

"I don't know to be honest with you. I guess I don't care at all either." Harmony said stiffly. She didn't like talking about her murderous father to be honest.

"Sorry…" Jim said slipping an arm around her waist.

"Sharpay?" Harmony asked as her aunt walked into the room with a pitcher of ice tea for the three of them.

"Yes Harmony?"

"Where's dad buried?" she asked curiously.

"I'll go take you to see him later." Sharpay answered thinking fondly of her brother. She missed him so much. She didn't go see him nearly as much as she should.

"Okay. So which person should I go see first? Chad or Zeke?"

"I suggest Chad." Sharpay answered as she pulled a picture out of him to show her. "His wife's name is Taylor. If nothing else, ask her about your parents."

"Thanks. Let's go." Harmony said as she pulled Jim out of the house and toward the car.

_Ryan disembarked the plane and headed towards his car that he had left in the parking lot. Normally he would have someone pick him up, but liked to drive once in awhile. He wasn't completely spoiled. _

_He passed the bar on the way to his home and saw Troy's car outside. He decided to go and talk to him for awhile. They hadn't really talked in a few weeks. _

_He locked his car and pocketed his keys as he walked into the bar. He spotted Troy sitting down at the far end talking to the bartender. _

"_Hello Ryan." Troy said smiling sadly as Ryan sat down next to him. _

"_Hi what's doing Troy?" Ryan said happy to be home and in a place where he was comfortable. He loosened his tie a bit. _

"_I've got something to tell you," Troy responded as the bartender walked away, not wanting to be a part of this conversation. "Which I really don't want to." _

"_What's wrong?" Ryan asked furrowing his brow. He didn't remember the last time Troy had looked so serious. _

"Hi Mr. Danforth?" Harmony asked as a rather tall man.

"Yes?" Responded Chad looking down on the young woman in front of him.

"I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about the Bolton murder case?" She asked hopefully. Chad looked like he wanted to run and be anywhere but there at that particular moment.

"Um, well I'd rather not talk about it." He responded and started to close the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself," Harmony said as she put her foot between the door and the doorframe right before it closed. "My name is Harmony Evans."

Chad's eyes lit up. "Oh well…. I guess I could answer some of your questions." He responded nervously and let her and Jim in.

"_Gabriella probably isn't home at the moment. Since you've been gone she's been seeing Chad." Troy whispered. _

"_What!?" Ryan roared. How could she do that to him? Ryan stood up and was in the process of storming out when Troy grabbed his arm to hold him back. _

"_Don't go do anything stupid Ryan!" Troy warned him. _

"_Why shouldn't I go kill Chad? Give me one good reason! Where in the world is Harmony during all this too? Did anyone think of her during this?" Ryan yelled back at Troy. _

"_Harmony is with my parents. You know that they love her." Troy responded quietly. _

"_You didn't give me a good reason not to go kill Chad though. I'm not completely a spoiled rich kid. My dad actually took me shooting when I was little and I'm about to use that to my advantage." Ryan responded, starting to walk out again. _

"Honestly, I hate to say it, but I slept with your mother too while your father was away on that business trip." Chad said with his head in his hands. He was in the process of finishing telling Harmony what he knew. "The bartender had told me what your father and Troy had er - _talked_ about that day. I was so stupid to do that to your parents and you. I shouldn't have ever gone and seen your mother. We were good friends, and that's the way it should have stayed." He said, practically in tears by now. "We were all such good friends, then all of a sudden we were all torn apart. Gabriella disappeared, Troy was murdered and then your father convicted of murder."

"So no one ever saw my mother again?" Harmony asked as she scribbled furiously. She was learning more than she thought she would, that was for sure.

"No. My wife, Taylor was her best friend. She still doesn't know half of the story. I just couldn't get myself to admit to her that I had slept with her best friend." Chad said as he wiped away some tears.

"Where is your wife?" Jim asked and Harmony through him a dirty look. He wasn't the interviewer.

"She left me a few years ago and took the kids with her. She thought I was keeping secrets from her."

"Well, I'm going to be publishing my story soon, so I hope you don't mind." Harmony replied.

"No, it's about time that I came clean." Chad said and pointed to the portrait above the fireplace. "That was the whole gang in high school. We were all the best of friends."

Jim stood up to inspect it and take a picture of the large painting. They all looked so happy.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Danforth." Harmony said smiling slightly. She wasn't liking what she was finding out so far about everything.

"You're welcome. Just contact me again if you would like any more information. You know, you look a lot like your dad." He responded.

She just smiled back. She didn't think of that as much of a compliment.

* * *

"Hello honey. You were gone for awhile." Sharpay said sitting at the kitchen table.

"Sharpay? Can you tell me your side of the story?" Harmony asked as she sat down across from her at the table.

"Did you talk to both Taylor and Chad?" She replied.

"No, Taylor left him." She replied, realizing she should've asked for her address.

"I will once you talk to everyone else." She replied and got up from the chair and walked out of the room.

"Your aunt is acting really weird." Jim said taking out his camera.

"Yes, she is." Harmony said frowning at the door that her aunt had just walked through.

_Troy followed him out and as they both got in their car Troy decided to give him a reason. "To tell you the truth Ryan, I've been with Gabriella too." _

"_Of course you have, you two were together for two years." Ryan responded not understanding. _

"_No Ryan, I've been with Gabriella since you've been gone." Troy whispered as he got in the car and drove away without looking at what use to be one of his best friends. Ryan just watched the car fade into the distance. _

_Ryan knew exactly what he was about to do. He completely forgot about Chad and Gabriella as he drove home. _

_He went into his father's study and took his keys and opened up the bottom drawer of his desk. Took out the pistol and locked the drawer again. He couldn't believe that his wife and friends did this to him. Not to mention Harmony or Sharpay! How was Sharpay going to take it? It was her fiancé that had just cheated on her too! It wasn't just his wife; it was his sister's fiancé also. _

_He took out his cell phone and tried calling Sharpay again. Still no answer. Where was she?_

* * *

**So I'm kinda surprised that I didn't get any flames for the last chapter. Eh, I'm not complaining though! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

"So what do you have so far Harmony?" Asked Harmony's editor over the phone. He was pretty excited to print her story. He had a feeling that she could get a lot more information than the police had.

"Well I've got a lot more information. It's still not all adding up though." She responded as she looked closer at some of the pictures. "The man my father killed was actually my aunt's fiancé at the time."

"Well that's a twist." The editor replied.

"I was kind of surprised too. For some reason she had never told me before. Also one of her fiancé's best friends had slept with my mother."

"What a can of worms you have just opened up." Her editor replied chuckling a bit.

"I'm willing to bet that this is only the tip of the iceberg too." She replied contemplating everything she knew so far. It just didn't make sense.

"_Shar?" Ryan called out to the seemingly empty mansion on the off chance she was there. _

"_Sharpay isn't here, but I am." He heard what he recognized as Mrs. Bolton's voice. He quickly hid the pistol in the top of his pants, behind his back as he followed her voice into Harmony's room. Thankfully he was wearing a suit, so she still couldn't see it even if he turned around. It probably wouldn't go down well if he told her what he was about to do. Especially considering it was her son. _

"_Hi Mrs. Bolton," He said as he entered the room. She smiled at him. _

"_How was your trip?" She asked standing up and picking up her purse. _

"_It was good." He responded doing his best to smile back at her. "I was wondering if you could watch Harmony a bit longer? I have something I need to take care of." He responded as he walked over to her crib and picked her up knowing that it would be the last time he saw her, let alone held her. _

"_Oh sure! She's so precious. I wish she was my grandchild. I'm very sorry that your parents missed out on meeting their granddaughter." She responded as she stroked Harmony's dark hair. _

"_Thank you so much. You can consider her your grandchild if you would like. It would be an honor." Ryan replied doing his best not to cry. Harmony grabbed his thumb and gurgled. He hated that he wouldn't be able to see her grow up, but this really needed to be done. He didn't see an option for any of it. _

Harmony looked at a picture she had found of herself and her parents as Jim drove them to their next destination. They looked so happy….what had happened? Why couldn't they have been what they appeared to be? She loved that her aunt had taken her in and everything, but she wanted what all kids wanted. Parents. Parents to love her, take care of her, to raise her. Not parents who were murderers and adulteresses. Where was the love in that?

"You okay?" Jim asked looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he watched the road at the same time.

"Yeah… I guess. You know you're really lucky, right?" She replied quietly.

"Yes, because I have you." He responded tenderly.

"No, because you had parents who weren't insane and loved you." She responded before putting the picture on the dashboard upside down so she wouldn't have to look at it.

"_I know Troy really adores her also." Mrs. Bolton said as Ryan handed Harmony off to her. His blood boiled when she mentioned Troy. _

"_Thank you again." He said as he kissed Harmony on the forehead gently. She giggled. _

"_You're very welcome." _

"_Also," Ryan said as he was almost out of the room. "I'm very sorry, but it has to be done." _

"_What?" Mrs. Bolton asked, very confused. Ryan just turned around and walked out. _

"_Your father is a very strange man." She said to the giggling baby in her arms. She smiled and put her back in her crib and watched as she fell asleep. _

"Wow I never thought I'd see you again." Said Zeke Baylor as he opened the door to his house to find Harmony Evans.

"Um, sorry?" She said confused. Well at least he had recognized her.

"Oh, no it's okay. Come in." He replied gesturing for him to come in.

"This is my photographer, Jim Rivers. We're working on an article together about the Bolton murder." She replied smiling at him. "We were wondering if we could talk to you?"

"By all means you sure can." Zeke said pointing to the way to his living room.

_Ryan quietly parked his car a few houses down from Troy's and opened the gate to the backyard. He quietly closed it after he went through it. He sneaked around to the back door to the house just to find it wide open with Troy lying on the floor. Dead. Ryan also noticed that there were suitcases next to him as if he was about to leave..._

"Your father was one of my best friends. I'm sorry that I did that to him." Zeke said as the three of them sat down.

"What did you do?" Harmony asked, taking out her recorder and pen and paper.

"I was the judge for the case. I still can't believe I sentenced him to that." Zeke said staring off into the distance.

"Why can't you believe that?" Harmony asked curiously. Why would he be sorry that he sentenced her father? He was a murderer!

"_You're under arrest! Anything you say will and may be used against you." Said the police officer as they put the handcuffs on Ryan's wrists. _

"_Such a shame, he was so young." Said another police officer as they checked to make sure that Troy was really dead. _

"_What's his name?" _

"_Troy. Troy Bolton." Ryan responded. "He slept with my wife." _

"_Come on let's get you to the station." Said the officer that held Ryan as he started to guide him towards his car. _

"_Whatever." Ryan responded as he was put in the car. It was all over. There was no reason to resist. He really didn't care what happened as long as they didn't find out his secret. _

I knew that Troy Bolton was killed because he cheated and that I could be next since I had done the same thing as he." Zeke replied quietly.

"What? You're joking, right?" Jim asked amazed. How many people had slept with the mother of his girlfriend?

"No, no I'm not. I think most of the males in our group of friends had slept with your mother I'm sad to say. I don't know what happened… it just ended up happening." Zeke responded sadly. "I'm very sorry I did that. I'm very sorry that I did that to you, Harmony. You could have had a life with your parents if we hadn't all done that."

"_You know I didn't realize that they let the judges come see the murderers before they went to court." Ryan spat nastily as he saw Zeke walk into his jail cell. _

"_Did you kill Troy?" Zeke asked looking at the wall, refusing to look at Ryan. _

"_Troy is dead for the same reason you would be dead if I wasn't in handcuffs and a bright orange jumpsuit at the moment. You slept with her too didn't you?" Ryan asked smirking, already knowing the answer as he watched Zeke tense up. "Ah, yes I thought that was the answer." Ryan replied shaking his head. _

"_You and I both know perfectly well who killed Troy don't we." Zeke asked as smiled, now looking at Ryan. _

"_Yes, we both do know perfectly well who killed Troy. I also know perfectly well why I'm still in this jail cell." Ryan responded knowing that what he wanted was going to happen. _

"_Did you also know that Gabriella hasn't been seen since you got home?" Zeke asked watching Ryan carefully. _

"_Not surprised. Evans aren't afraid of dirty work if they were cheated on." Ryan responded as he watched Zeke shake his head. _

"_I'm going to have to have a talk with Jason before your trial apparently." Zeke said before he had someone open the cell door to let him out. _

"_Yeah you go do that, talk to Jason, my lawyer. It's amazing what you all are doing just so Kelsi, Taylor, and the rest of the world won't find out. Convicting a murderer." _

"_You're welcome." Zeke said as he walked out then stopped. "By the way, Harmony's living with Sharpay." _

"_I know." Ryan replied as he went back to what he was doing before Zeke had come in. Staring at the wall had now become his favorite past time. Wahoo. _

"So do you think it was my father that killed Troy Bolton?" Harmony asked rather confused by everything that Zeke and Chad had told her.

"No, no I don't. Especially since your aunt was the one that sent you here to me."

**So is it rather confusing without breaks in between the flashback type things and the present time? I'll go back and put them in if it is. **


	4. Chapter 4

"I really like your first article in the series." Sharpay stated as she sat next to Harmony on the couch, just as she finished reading said article. It really was a good one. She could tell that Harmony was going to find out sooner or later.

"Thanks." Harmony said smiling at her aunt. "So will you tell me your side of the story now? Chad couldn't get a hold of Taylor and I couldn't find her address."

"Not quite yet." Sharpay responded as she hugged her. She didn't figure she'd be getting many more from her. She laughed as Jim took a picture of the two hugging.

"Jim quit!" Harmony said irritated.

"Why? I'm fairly sure you're going to want that." He replied looking at Sharpay strangely.

"Why?" She asked, still annoyed at her boyfriend.

"Trust me."

"How about this," Sharpay said to Harmony while she got up. "How about we go get in the car to go visit your father and on the way I'll tell you my side of the story."

"Sure." Harmony replied as she went to go get her coat.

"I think I know what you're thinking and you're right." Sharpay said to Jim who was staring at her calculatingly.

"I was afraid of that." He responded.

"How about we take your car?" She asked just as Harmony came back into the room.

"Okay. I think I'd rather be driving anyway."

_Sharpay smiled as she walked into the bar and spotted her fiancé. He was sitting at the far end of the bar, talking to the bartender. She decided to sneak up on him and scare him. _

"…_Heard that Gabriella was sleeping with him." She heard him say right before she was about to push him slightly. She stopped dead and backed up a bit to make the bartender think that she wasn't listening. _

"_Really? I saw you and her the other day at that motel." Responded the bartender smiling crudely. _

"_Ah, well I hope no one else thought that. They'd get the right idea and then the Evans would be after me." Troy replied laughing slightly. _

_Sharpay turned red and stormed out of the bar. Thankfully Troy hadn't seen her. It would be a surprise for him then apparently. _

"So you knew that Troy was cheating on you?" Harmony asked as they turned onto the highway. Apparently her dad wasn't buried in Albuquerque.

"Yes, and it proved to be bad that I knew. I'm also very sorry for what I'm about to tell you Harmony. Just remember that everything happened because it was thought to be best for you, and that I and your dad love you very much."

"Um, okay." Harmony responded before her aunt continued on with her story.

_She got home to the Evan mansion just in time to see Chad driving away and Gabriella walking back into the house. Sharpay was not a happy camper at all at this point. Why would such a seemingly wonderful person be sleeping around when they were married and had a two month year old baby? _

_She took out her cell phone as she walked up the steps to the door. She noticed she had two missed calls from Ryan, but she ignored them and dialed the home phone number for the Bolton's since she had no idea if any of her other friends were sleeping with Gabriella either. _

"_Hi Mrs. Bolton? Could you do me the favor of babysitting Harmony for a bit? Gabriella asked me to see if you could do it since she has to go out of town for a few days and I need to take her to the airport." _

"_Of course, I'll be there in five minutes." _

"_Thanks. I really appreciate it." Sharpay said nicely as she smiled evilly. Gabriella was going out of town alright. _

"_Hey Gabriella?" Sharpay yelled as she walked inside. The idiot had left the door unlocked even. Probably waiting for another one to let themselves in. _

"_Sharpay?" Gabriella asked as she walked into the front room where she was, holding Harmony. _

"_Mrs. Bolton is coming over to babysit Harmony for a bit. I thought the two of us could have dinner." Sharpay said as she walked over and took Harmony from Gabriella. _

"_Oh! That sounds wonderful. I'll go get my coat." She said happily as she walked back out of the room towards her and Ryan's bedroom. _

_Sharpay did her best not to roll her eyes as she went to her own bedroom with Harmony. She smiled down at her fondly. She really loved her niece. _

_Once she got into her bedroom she put the precious infant down on her bed so she could get into her closet easier. She pulled down a dark trench coat and a box that was on a high shelf in her closet. _

_Not many people knew that Sharpay Evans loved shooting. She didn't broadcast it since it wasn't exactly a girly sport. _

"_Gabriella? Sharpay?" Yelled a voice coming from downstairs, signaling the arrival of Mrs. Bolton. _

"_I'm coming!" Gabriella yelled. Sharpay smiled. Perfect. _

_She once again picked up her phone and called Troy. _

"_Hi Troy. You want to go out tonight? Gabriella's going out of town and I got your mom to take care of Harmony." _

"_Sure." He responded. He sounded rather drunk. All the better. _

By this time Harmony's mouth was wide open. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It just wasn't possible….was it?

"_I've got the baby!" Sharpay happily said walking down the stairs and handing her off to Mrs. Bolton. _

"_You ready?" Sharpay asked putting her hand in her pocket and fingering the loaded revolver and the extra bullets. _

"_Yup! Let's go." _

"_Great." _

"_Where are we going Sharpay?" Gabriella asked as Sharpay drove a while out of town. "There's nothing out this way." _

"_Trust me there is." Sharpay said smiling grimly. _

"_What's out here?" Gabriella asked very confused. _

"_A grave I wanted to show you." _

"_What?" Gabriella asked extremely confused. "Who's grave?" _

"_This girl I'm related to. Hey did you know that I've won a couple of sharp shooting awards?" Sharpay asked smiling slightly. _

"_Uh no. I can't see you shooting at all." Gabriella replied looking shocked as Sharpay turned onto a dirt road. _

"_Well you'll get to see me in a bit." _

Jim sighed as he heard Harmony gasp next to him. He had been thinking this is something to the effect of what had happened for a while now; he just hadn't wanted to tell her.

"You killed my mother!?" Harmony shrieked.

"Yes." Sharpay answered without a problem. "That isn't the end of the story though. There's more, a lot more." She responded sadly before she continued on.

**So this is the halfway point. I just finished writing it and it's 8 chapters. FYI lol. **


	5. Chapter 5

"_Troy?" Sharpay asked as she walked into his house. _

"_Sharpay?" He asked as he wheeled out some luggage. _

"_Where are you going?" She asked furiously. Was he running? _

"_Away for a bit. I told your brother something I shouldn't have and he's very mad at me." Troy responded moving towards her to hug and kiss her. _

"_Don't you dare come any closer to me." She replied as she pulled out her gun that only had five bullets left in the barrel. She cocked the barrel as Troy tripped over his luggage as he hurried backwards in surprise. _

"_Wh-what are you doing?" Troy asked frantically as he tried to get up. _

"_Sharpay doesn't miss when she aims her gun, even ask my sister-in-law, well former sister-in-law. Then again, she won't be talking anytime soon." She replied right before she pulled the trigger. _

"You killed both of them!? Why did you let my father go to jail then!?" Harmony asked hysterically. She wanted out of the car. She didn't want to be anywhere near her aunt, ever again.

"Turn right here." Sharpay said looking at Jim who obediently did what she said. "Just let me finish my story Harmony before you completely freak out on me."

"Why? Why should I? Why shouldn't I take you straight to the police station?" Harmony asked in tears by now.

_Sharpay turned around quickly as she heard footsteps on the back porch. _

"_Sharpay!" Ryan said as he spotted her standing next to Troy's body. "Is this why you weren't picking up your phone?" _

"_I take it you heard about Gabriella and Troy also?" Sharpay replied as she walked over to Ryan and hugged him and noticed his gun. _

"_Yes, Chad too." He responded frowning. _

"_What?" Sharpay yelled back. Great, now she had more work. _

"_No Sharpay. You're already in enough trouble." Ryan said taking the gun away from her. _

"_What? They all cheated on us!" _

"_If we do this right, you can take Harmony from Gabriella." Ryan whispered as he handed her his gun. _

"_Gabriella isn't going to be seeing Harmony any time soon." Sharpay replied in a whisper. _

"_You… already…?" Ryan asked in barely more than a whisper. _

"_Yes…" She responded apologetically. He ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe what was happening. _

"_Run Sharpay." He said breathlessly. "Run and take care of Harmony for me. She needs to have a parent figure in her life." Ryan responded looking at her sorrowfully. _

"_But Ry-" _

"_Run! Run now! Just let me take the blame!" Ryan yelled at her. "I already said in front of the whole bar that I was going to kill, so I'm already in trouble. Here take my gun and put it back. I'll wipe away your fingerprints and put mine on it." _

_  
"But Ryan…" Sharpay said, eyes filling with tears. She knew it had to be done though. She reached into her pocket and handed him another bullet. He took it as understanding dawned on him. He put it in the gun. _

"_No! Go or we'll both get the blame!" He replied as he started to push her out of the house. _

"_Okay, I'm sorry Ryan." She said crying pretty steadily by now. _

"_Run! I forgive you! It's not your fault anyway." He said, his eyes filling with tears too. _

_Sharpay started to run down the street to her car that was parked a street over. She was half way around the block when she heard a gunshot. She jumped and her eyes widened in horror as she saw a police car go by and turn on their siren. _

"_No…" She whispered as she watched them pull up to Troy's house. _

"My father isn't a murderer?" Harmony asked crying steadily. The man she had grown to hate over her life wasn't a murderer. He had taken the blame for his sister so she could take care of his daughter and she would get off free. She had been raised by a _murderer_. A murderer who had killed not just once, but twice. Twice in the same day even.

"Turn here." Sharpay responded quietly as Jim turned again. He knew where they were going and was rather surprised. He wasn't expecting this twist in the plot of his girlfriend's life. There was only one thing out where they were going.

"_Here's the baby! She was an angel the whole time!" Mrs. Bolton said happily as Sharpay walked into the nursery. _

_Sharpay didn't say anything. She couldn't believe everything that had just happened. _

"_Sharpay! Why do you have a gun in your hand?" Mrs. Bolton said suddenly. _

"_Troy is dead." Sharpay replied as Mrs. Bolton looked at her horrified. _

"_What?" She whispered. _

"_He cheated. Gabriella slept with him and Chad." Sharpay replied as she sat down on the floor staring ahead of her with a blank look on her face. "They just arrested Ryan for his murder." _

Harmony stayed silent. This was just too much for her to grasp at the moment. Way too much.

"There's more." Sharpay said as she once again pointed out to Jim as to where to turn. They were now approaching a large fenced in area.

"How much more could there be?" Harmony asked angrily.

"Just listen, one more time." Sharpay begged quietly as Jim pulled into a rather large parking lot outside of the fenced in area and parked.

"Where are we?" Harmony asked as she read what the fence said. "Why are we at a prison?"

"I thought you would like to meet your father." She responded getting out of the car.

Harmony was completely confused by now. She had always thought he was dead. Everyone talked about him like he was dead, not in prison.

**So I didn't really feel like writing the death of Troy and upping the rating to M. But who really wants to read Troy Bolton death anyway? Completely besides the point that most of this story is about that huh? Well don't kill me for making the characters so vicious lol. **


	6. Chapter 6

Harmony went through the metal detectors and security check without really realizing what she was doing. She was just in shock and didn't know what to do with herself. She was about to meet her father that she had thought was dead for her whole life.

"Who are you here to see?" The lady at the desk asked as Sharpay went up to the little whole in the glass to answer.

"Ryan Evans."

"You're names?" She asked in a very bored tone as she typed on the computer she had in front of her.

"Sharpay Evans, Harmony Evans, and Jim Rivers."

"He will be out in a few minutes. Please go and wait in the room to your left." The lady responded as she quit typing and started to file her nails.

The three of them walked into the room and Harmony sat down with Jim at her side. Sharpay decided that she shouldn't sit next to her niece. She doubted that Harmony wanted that at the moment.

Harmony was sitting with her elbows on her thighs, head in her hands, staring at the ground when she heard the door to the room open. Jim had been rubbing her back, but stopped. She took in a deep breath before looking up.

Life in prison hadn't treated Ryan Evans well. He was rather skinny and his hair was rather gray considering he was only about 46. He was currently in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.

"Harmony!" He said in surprise and stopped in his tracks. The warden behind him pushed him slightly to get him walking again. He did so, but stumbled a bit. The warden took one of Ryan's hands out of the handcuffs as he sat down and proceeded to hand cuff him to the chair before leaving the room.

"Sharpay?" He asked questioningly. They had decided years ago that she wasn't to know where he was.

"Why don't you tell your father about your article?" Sharpay asked looking at Harmony. Harmony didn't look at her aunt, but did what she said anyway.

"I'm working for a rather large paper in Austin and my editor and I decided that I could do a series of articles on the mystery of the Bolton murder." She replied as she went back to staring at the floor. "I've been interviewing people trying to find out more about what really happened. Aunt Sharpay just told me her version. The _whole_ truth." Harmony finished, stealing a glance at her aunt then finally looking her father in the eye.

Ryan's jaw dropped to the floor and he looked to Sharpay. "You didn't! Why do you think I'm here! I did it for a reason!" He said loudly, but not too loudly incase it brought the guards in.

"I've lived my life. I took care of your daughter. I thought it was your turn." She replied smiling sadly. "I barely convinced them not to put you to death, I had more than one motive for that. One, you were innocent and two you needed to spend time with your daughter when she could form words and walk."

"Sharpay…no." Ryan said sadly, "I mean I'd love to get the chance to spend time with Harmony, but I saved you. I just spent more than twenty years in prison."

"Exactly Ryan." Sharpay responded. "Once Harmony publishes the rest of her article, you will be out of here. Free to spend time with her."

Jim was watching the twins closely. He had seen pictures of the two of them together when they were younger and it was obvious that they were twins. Now it was hard to tell. Sharpay was neat at tidy, but Ryan looked a mess. Apparently living in prison for over twenty years takes a rather large toll on a person.

"You're innocent then?" Harmony suddenly asked Ryan, startling the twins.

"Yes." He replied reluctantly looking down.

Harmony just looked between her father and her aunt.

"I-I need to get out of here." Harmony said shaking her head and leaving the room. Jim followed her quickly.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he followed her out of the building.

"I don't know, I just need to go anywhere else." She responded walking past the car and farther into the parking lot.

"Harm." Jim said quickening his pace and grabbing her arm.

"What?" She snapped back at him. "What do you want from me?"

"I know what they did wasn't exactly great, but they did it for you." He said taking her hands in his.

"You're defending them!?" She screeched back. "Why are you defending them! She killed two people and he was going to do the same!"

"I know, but your aunt raised you not to do anything like that, right?"

"Yes, very hypocritical if you ask me." She muttered back looking at their intertwined hands.

"Honestly I had been kind of wandering if your aunt hadn't been the one to do it all, I just didn't want to tell you since I didn't think you'd believe me." He replied letting go of one of her hands and bringing his up to life her chin so she was looking at him directly.

Harmony sighed. "You're right. I wouldn't have believed you and probably would have broke up with you." She replied quietly.

"Now see, how often are you going to find a boyfriend who would stay by your side when you just found out that the person who raised you was a murderer." He replied attempting to lighten the mood. Surprisingly it worked. She chuckled a bit.

"Why don't we go back, get your aunt, and go home so you can start that article of yours?" He replied putting an arm around her waist.

"Okay." She replied quietly. She wasn't afraid of her aunt, but staying in the same house as a murderer still kind of freaked her out. Especially when she thought of how long she had stayed with her over her lifetime.

**So nope, no flashbacks in this chapter. Actually there's only one more flashback left I believe…. Thanks for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

"Hun?" Sharpay asked coming into what had previously been her father's study, then Ryan's, and now Harmony's. Harmony looked up from the desk.

"What?" She asked rather stiffly not looking up. She was busy and didn't want to be disturbed.

"You should go to bed." Sharpay responded softly.

"I'm sorry but I can't sleep. It probably has something to do with the fact that I had been lied to my whole life. Not to mention the person who raised me was a murderer and let her brother go to prison for life because of it." She responded back irately.

"I'm sorry. We did what we thought was best." Sharpay responded going over to the chair in front of the desk and sitting in it. Harmony sighed loudly when she realized that her aunt wasn't leaving anytime soon. "You really should go to bed. It's four in the morning."

"You should go to bed too. It's one of your last times sleeping in that particular bed." Harmony replied finally looking up. She noticed that there were tears rolling down her aunt's face. "What's wrong?" She asked forgetting for a moment who she was asking or remembering that she had raised her.

"You still don't know everything." Sharpay replied grabbing a tissue from the box on the desk. "I'm sorry that you never knew your dad or your mother, but I believe what I did was right. They cheated. However, there's another person that didn't deserve to die." She sniffed, grabbing yet another tissue.

"_It was you wasn't?" Mrs. Bolton screamed at Sharpay as she burst into her house. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about." Sharpay responded as she carried a sleeping Harmony to her bed. "I'd also appreciate it if you didn't yell at me in my house, especially when I have a sleeping five year old." _

"_Okay, fine. Put her to bed and then let's talk about this." Mrs. Bolton replied as she folded her arms across her chest and waited for Sharpay to come back from putting Harmony to bed. _

"_Let's go talk about this somewhere else." Sharpay said getting her keys. "Harmony won't be waking up anytime soon. She sleeps like her father." _

"_Ryan didn't sleep soundly." Mrs. Bolton replied furious that the person in front of her had killed her son. _

"_I know. I don't believe Ryan was her father." Sharpay said as she ushered Mrs. Bolton out the door. _

"_What? You don't mean that -" Mrs. Bolton started to say, but was cut off as she was hit hard on the head with a vase. _

"_Now if I remember correctly, your husband is currently on travel. I think you hit your head pretty hard against the kitchen counter when you slipped on some water you spilled on the floor." Sharpay responded as she put Mrs. Bolton in the car and drove to the Bolton Residence. _

Harmony put her head down on the desk. Way too much to handle within a twelve hour period. After a few minutes of listening to her aunt sniffling, she finally lifted her head off the table to look at her.

"Are you telling me that I'm not even blood related to you?" She asked putting her hands in her hair.

Sharpay wiped away a tear before saying anything.

"I thought at the time that you were Troy's daughter. Now, I'm not so sure." She said looking Harmony in the eyes. "I thought that we could get DNA testing done." She replied smiling a bit.

"Where's my mother?" Harmony responded. She didn't want to think about who her father was at the moment.

"I'd rather you not know that. I'll tell the police when I turn myself in tomorrow." Sharpay responded quietly looking at her lap.

"What?" Harmony asked surprised. She thought that her aunt was just going to let them find out once they read her article.

"I don't want you to get in any trouble by not telling them before you publish it."

"Oh…." Harmony replied, not really knowing how to reply to that.

"Can you promise me just one thing? Will you please visit me? I would really appreciate it. I will understand if you don't though also. I know what I did isn't forgivable."

"I-I-I don't know." Harmony replied surprised.

"Okay. Goodnight Sweetie." Sharpay replied getting up.

"Wait." Harmony said, making Sharpay turn to face her.

"Can I have a hug?" She asked softly. She didn't know why she asked.

"Of course!" Sharpay responded smiling and rushing around the desk to get to Harmony.

"I love you Harmony, you really have no idea." Sharpay cried into her shoulder as she clung tightly to her.

"I think I do have an idea Aunt Sharpay. I love you too." Harmony replied, crying and clinging just as tightly.

"I really love your father too, whoever he is." Sharpay got out between sobs.

**Second to last chapter right here! Thanks to all of those who have been reading and reviewing! **


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Conclusion **_

_**By Harmony Evans Rivers **_

_**Photographs by Jim Rivers **_

_Sharpay Evans kept her word. A few hours after she told me that she was going to turn herself in, she had Jim drive her to the station where Ryan had been taken to the night he was arrested. She confessed the crimes, with the result of the police officer's jaws hitting the ground. Every single one of them had heard of the case, but hadn't ever given it much thought. The officer that had arrested Ryan ended up showing up halfway through her confession after getting a phone call from his son who was working at the station. To say in the least that he was surprised is an understatement. "You know, now that I think of it I remember a woman running down the street frantically." He said after the shock had worn off a bit. He then recognized me from the paper and told me that he had been following my article since it was being printed in an Albuquerque paper also. He then told me everything he could about the case. He hadn't been surprised when he had read that the case hadn't gone to a fair court. I also later found out that Zeke Baylor had been arrested for not holding a fair court. He came peacefully and responded to the police when they read him his rights "I was wondering what took you so long!"_

_My mother's bones were found just where Sharpay said they would be. The police found it amazing that no one had found them before even if it was a bit off the beaten path. I didn't find out where they were, and honestly don't want to know where they were. She was given a proper funeral, which only Jim and I attended. _

_The DNA test results that proved who were my father came in about a week after my aunt turned herself in, but I decided that I really didn't want to know. I shredded the results while Jim yelled at me since he really wanted to know even if I didn't. Even if Troy Bolton is my father by blood, he obviously wasn't as loving towards me as Ryan Evans. I also asked Jason, Zeke, and Chad if they had been sleeping with her previous to my birth and they all said they hadn't been. I'm thankful for that at least. _

_A month later Ryan was released from prison and all the charges against him were dropped. He is now a free man and last month had the privilege to walk me down the aisle when Jim and I got married. My dad now lives next door to me and my husband. He refused to go back into the Evans mansion in Albuquerque and said it was all mine. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet. _

_Lucille Bolton's death has been rightfully marked as a murder. I don't remember much about the woman except that she treated me like a grandchild. Every time I'm in Albuquerque I go and visit her grave. I also go visit her husband who had also always treated me the same as his wife had. Thankfully he didn't change his mind about me even when he found out that his wife and son were murdered by my aunt. He and my father refuse to talk to one another, but I think I can live with that, all things considered. _

_Below is a picture of myself, Jim, and my father just a few days ago. My father looks much better than what he did the first time I saw him. He's filled out a bit and doesn't quite look as depressed. He also _

_looks like he has a reason now to live. I'm extremely grateful to have such an understanding husband and a father in my life at last. _

_Last, but not least, are my final words on this whole ordeal: I now understand why my aunt always insisted that she hated country music until the song The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia came on when we were listening to her music. _

Harmony got out of her car, her father following suit. The two of them walked hand in hand through the doors of the large building, her father looking around happily. Harmony guessed that's what your reaction would be if you were walking into a prison that you knew you could walk out of at anytime you wanted to without being arrested after not being able to leave it for over twenty years.

"I'm proud of you, you know that right Harmony?" He asked squeezing her hand, then letting go of her hand and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm proud of you too." She replied smiling back at him. He told her that every day, but it never got old. She doubted it ever would.

"Name of person you're here to see?" Asked the same seemingly forever bored lady working at the counter.

"Sharpay Evans and Curtis Moore." Replied Ryan.

"Do you want separate rooms?" Drawled the lady as she typed slowly.

"Yes please." Harmony answered.

"They'll be right out." She replied putting her feet up on the desk.

"Thanks Shelia." Ryan replied rolling his eyes.

"Ryan?" She asked looking up in the same tone.

"Yes?" He asked smirking. Apparently she hadn't heard he was released.

"What are you doing out?" She asked looking extremely confused.

"I'm innocent." He replied walking away and pulling Harmony with him.

"So is your friend innocent?" Harmony asked as they went to the rooms.

"No, but he was the only friend I had for twenty years." He replied smiling and stopped in front of a room. He kissed Harmony's forehead. "You'll do fine." He whispered as he opened the door for her. She smiled back at him and sat down in one of the chairs. She noticed it was the same room that she had met her father in. There wasn't much to look at she noticed as she waited patiently. She smiled as the door opened.

"Harmony?" Sharpay asked happily as she was lead in. Harmony let the officer handcuff her aunt to the chair and leave before she responded.

"I didn't ever promise out loud, but I did promise myself that I would visit." She replied smiling and getting up to hug Sharpay.

"Where's your father? Where's Jim?" She asked after Harmony had sat down again.

"Dad's next door with Curtis and Jim's at work." Harmony replied happily.

"Why are you so happy?" Sharpay asked also smiling. She couldn't help it, Harmony's smile was infectious.

"I wanted to show you my new jewelry!" Harmony squealed and held her hand out to her aunt.

"Wow! I thought that being a photographer didn't pay much! Oh how I was very wrong!" Sharpay responded happily as she examined the rings carefully.

Harmony laughed a bit at her aunt. She really missed her, but she was glad that she had done the right thing. It was about time the lights were turned back on.

**That was the corniest last line I believe that I've ever written ha. I believe this was also the weirdest story I've ever written. Hope I cleared up all the unanswered questions in the story. Thanks for reading. **


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